A rough estimate for the construction of a new county recreation center turned out to be very rough indeed. The original budget for the recreation center at Hillcrest Park in Carthage was projected to be $3.7 million back in 2018.

The final budget, including working with the contractors to find ways to reduce the cost, came in at over $5 million. This resulted in an increase in the fees to be paid to the architectural firm.

The contract with Clark Patterson Lee Architects was based on 7.25% of the original budgeted amount.  The higher cost of the final budget increases their fee by $134,000.

County Manager Wayne Vest told the commissioners Tuesday during their meeting that it was a very rough estimate since “we didn’t have any real concept of the type of structure.” He added that the county would likely face a similar scenario with the new courthouse.

Board Vice-Chair Catherine Graham pointed out that the commissioners had chastised the schools for underestimating the new schools’ construction projects. She added that “I want that understood.”

The board approved the final construction cost and the increase in architectural fees. Funding for the project will come from capital reserves set aside for the project, as well as $68,000 in private funds earmarked for the project. The recreation center is projected to open in 2021.

In other business, the county is getting a speed bump in their internet speed. According to Chris Butts, Moore County Information Technology Director, the increasing use of digital media across the county has resulted in a need for more robust internet speed.

The current contract Moore County has with Century Link provides for 100mbs service. The new agreement will increase that to 200mbs with an additional cost of $10,000 per year.

The next scheduled meeting for the commissioners is a special meeting on October 9.

Feature photo and video via Moore County.

Sandhills_Sentinel~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Local News/Government Reporter Chris Prentice.
Contact him at [email protected] or (910) 639-9303.

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